Around the World in 5 is an ongoing series that highlights news related to women in five countries, updated every week. This week’s post covers December 3 to December 10.
Kazakhstan
To address the rising rates of violence against women, Kazakhstan is implementing women-led police stations nationwide. These facilities aim to offer a secure environment for victims of gender-based violence. Over the past few years, the number of inspectors specializing in assisting women who have faced violence has doubled, with more than 280 female investigators currently deployed.
Brazil
Indigenous women in Brazil’s Amazonas state are at the forefront of saving the Juma tribe from extinction.
Following the death of the last male member, Aruka Juma, in 2021, he entrusted leadership to his three daughters. Despite the tribe’s precarious situation, the Juma has experienced a revival with Mandeí Juma becoming the first female chief in the region. Recently, she passed on the role to her older sister Boreá, marking a historic shift in tribal leadership.
Nigeria
Bauchi State healthcare worker, Rhoda Jatau, has been freed after enduring 18 months of incarceration for condemning the killing of Samuel Deborah in Sokoto State.
Released on bail with the support of human rights activists, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, and Christian Solidarity Worldwide Nigeria, Jatau faced charges including inciting public disturbance, “exciting contempt of religious creed,” and cyberstalking.
She was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) in May 2022 for sharing a video denouncing the lynching of Deborah Samuel, a Christian student accused of blasphemy by Islamic fanatics in Sokoto.
Cameroon
Sabine Adeline Fanta Yadang, 32, a doctor of neuroscience, and Hadidjatou Daïrou, 33, a doctor of cellular physiology, defied societal prejudices to earn the L’Oréal-Unesco Young Talent Award for Women in Science.
Recognized for their research on the medicinal properties of plants, the scientists stood out among 30 peers in sub-Saharan Africa, receiving the award in Botswana on November 8.
Their collaborative work at the Institute for Medical Research and the Study of Medicinal Plants (IMPM) in Yaoundé, Cameroon, focuses on the potential of traditional medicinal plants in treating cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s.
South Africa
In collaboration with UN Women and the backing of the government of Ireland, the Elma Foundation, and Bread of the World, Ilitha Labantu initiated a program in 2021.
This initiative involves partnering with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to implement a survivor-centered approach. The program aims to educate officers on effectively engaging with survivors of gender-based violence.
Training modules encompass crucial topics such as gender definition, sensitivity, addressing harmful social norms, legal procedures, the SAPS role, working with violence survivors, managing traumatized individuals, and basic counseling techniques.
Since the programme’s launch, Ilitha Labantu has noticed a significant reduction of complaints about local police stations from their clients and the organization now gets more referrals from the police when officers need assistance on specific cases.
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